Zanzibar Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Livestock and Fisheries Mmanga Mjengo Mjawiri said when handing out 400m/- to villagers around the Jozani Forest Reserve as compensation for their crops.
Mjawiri said the government has taken the decision to curb the habit of people going inside the forest reserve to hunt animals, and added that the poachers even hunt some endangered species including Ader’s duiker.
Chairman of the farmers’ association around Jozani Forest Reserve Yussuf Mshenga said despite beefing up of patrols people still invaded the reserve for tree cutting for timber and firewood.
He said another activity is beekeeping and during the past two years incidents of fire occurred attributed to honey harvesters.
In 2000 Jozani Forest was included in the list of Tanzania National Parks and is famous for its unique wildlife including colobus monkeys and tree hyrax birds species.
Established in the 1960s the Jozani forest is a conservation area in the core of Zanzibar Island covering an area of 50 square kilometers, it also includes a section of the Jozani Chwaka National Park. Read more…
